ITT72_Cat 2-9_RFR 12.12.2022~1.docx

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

OPERATIONAL SERVICES DIVISION

Request for Response (RFR)

Document Title: Network Services, Communications Services & Related Equipment

Agency Document Number: ITT72 - Category 2 to 9

COMMBUYS Bid#: BD-20-1080-OSD03-SRC01-47537

January 24, 2020

Please Note: This is a single document associated with a complete Bid (also referred to as Solicitation) that can be found on www.COMMBUYS.com. Bidders are responsible for reviewing and complying with all Bid requirements. Bidders may contact the OSD Help Desk at COMMBUYS@mass.gov or at 1-888-MA-STATE for technical assistance with COMMBUYS. The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Bidders with disabilities or hardships that seek reasonable accommodation, which may include the receipt of RFR information in an alternative format, must communicate such requests in writing to the contact person. Requests for accommodation will be addressed on a case by case basis. A Bidder requesting accommodation must submit a written statement which describes the Bidder’s disability and the requested accommodation to the contact person for the RFR. The SST reserves the right to reject unreasonable requests.

Revision History

· Section 4.1.6 Category 7: Managed Services

Changes are highlighted in Gray.

· Updated Appendices 4 & 9

· Updated Appendix 6 with Internet Service and Internet Access definition

· Pricing sheets removed “One-Time Charge” column as it’s same as it is NRC; Category 6 & 7 Pricing Sheets removed “Total Monthly” Column

· Category 9 Pricing Sheet removed “list price” and “net price” column

Changes are highlighted in Turquoise

· Unlocked cell in Appendix 4 on Tab 2.3 SIP row # 7

Changes are highlighted in Yellow

Changes are highlighted in Bright Green

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE: ITT72 - Network Services, Communications Services & Related Equipment

Document Sensitivity Level: High during development; Low once published. Template v 3.0.0

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE: ITT72 - Network Services, Communications Services & Related Equipment

Table of Contents Page iv Document Sensitivity Level: High during development; Low once published.

Introduction and Bid Overview Summary Description of Procurement The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the ITT72 Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) are soliciting Bidders for the acquisition of Network Services, Communications Services & Related Equipment. The resulting Contract will serve as the primary Statewide Contract used by Executive Agencies of the Commonwealth for the goods and services covered by the Contract. The resulting Contract will replace Statewide Contracts ITT46 Network Services and ITT50 Converged Voice and Data Communications Systems. The Contract will also be available for use by other Eligible Entities.

The categories of ITT72 are defined as follows:

Below categories are under this procurement.

Local – Centrex, POTS, Business Line, Direct Inward Dialing (DID), PRI, International

As indicated in the table above, Category 1: Cellular Services and Devices for ITT72 was released October 5, 2018 via a separate solicitation. This document is meant to solicit responses for Categories 2-9 of ITT72.

Estimated Procurement Calendar

1PM to 3PM (ET). To register go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pre-bid-conference-itt72-network-services-communications-services-related-equipment-tickets-91367333153

*Training for Online Submission – Contractors that have not previously submitted electronic quotes via COMMBUYS are strongly encouraged to attend training:

Locate and Respond to Bids in COMMBUYS Dates and Times Available: N/A

YouTube Video:

How to Find Bids (Solicitations) and Submit Quotes (Respond) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG7XDNk4-U0

Online Webinar:

February 11, 2020, 10am – 11am March 18, 2020, 1pm – 2pm

Late bids will not be considered.

*See Appendix 3 “Instructions for Vendors Responding to Bids Electronically through COMMBUYS” for instructions on how to register for live webinar and additional trainings that may be helpful to prospective bidders.

Visit https://www.mass.gov/doc/vendor-schedule/download for additional Instructor-Led Training and Webinar dates.

Times are Eastern Time (US), as displayed on the COMMBUYS system clock after logging in. If there is a conflict between the dates in this Procurement Calendar and dates in the Bid’s Header, the dates in the Bid’s Header on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Bidders are responsible for checking the Bid record, including Bid Q & A, on COMMBUYS for Procurement Calendar updates.

Submission of Bid Questions The “Bid Q & A” function in COMMBUYS allows Bidders to ask written questions and receive written answers regarding this Bid. To locate the Bid Q & A, log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q & A” button allows Bidders access to the Bid Q & A page.

All questions must be submitted through the Bid Q & A page. Questions must be asked prior to the Deadline stated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar. The Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) reserves the right not to respond to late questions. Bidders are responsible for verifying that their questions are recorded in COMMBUYS and appear on the Bid Q & A page.

Questions submitted to the SST outside of COMMBUYS will not be answered.

Content entered must be suitable for public viewing. Bidders must not include inappropriate content, including but not limited to, information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, or collusory. The SST reserves the right to edit or delete any inappropriate content.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

Bid Amendment Deadline The SST reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q & A records related to this Bid. The SST and the Commonwealth accept no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

At the SST’s discretion, the Bid Amendment Deadline may be extended. Should this occur, the “Deadline for Quotes/Responses” shall be extended as well. As stated above, it is the responsibility of the Bidder for checking the Bid record in COMMBUYS for revisions and updates.

Pre-bid Conference The Pre-bid Conference is a web or telephone conference conducted by the SST for the purpose of informing prospective Bidders about general Bid information and answering questions from prospective Bidders. Please refer to the Pre-bid Conference section of the Header Information for this Bid in COMMBUYS for any updated information, including the location, time and date of the Bidders’ Conference.

Late Bids will not be considered Bid responses must be received in full by the bid opening date and time shown on COMMBUYS ("Bid Opening Date", i.e., the response deadline). Proposals received after the deadline will be ineligible for consideration and deemed non-responsive. Each offeror must submit all required bid response forms electronically through COMMBUYS. When submitting a quote electronically through COMMBUYS, please allow sufficient time to complete any online forms and upload documents. If you are in the middle of uploading your proposal when the deadline is reached, the system will stop the process and you will be unable to submit your Quote. It is recommended that Quotes be submitted at least twenty-four (24) hours before the deadline to allow time to obtain assistance from the OSD Help Desk if needed.

Debriefing The SST will conduct debriefings for unsuccessful Bidders, if requested within fourteen (14) calendar days of notification that your Quote has not been selected for an award.

Additional Bid Information Anticipated Contract Duration:

The term of this Contract is five (5) years with no options to renew.

Performance and payment time frames which exceed Contract duration All term maintenance or other agreements for services entered into during the duration of this Contract and whose performance and payment time frames extend beyond the duration of this Contract shall remain in effect for performance and payment purposes (limited to the time frame and services established per each written agreement). No new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the Contract has expired. Any contractor entering into new engagements with eligible entities after contract expiration will be subject to remedial measures, which may include but are not limited to mandatory point deduction for future bid submissions and suspension of other contracts with OSD.

For services in Categories 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 No written agreement shall extend more than one (1) year beyond the final termination date of this Statewide Contract.

For services in Category 6 – Fiber Services No written agreement shall extend more than five (5) years beyond the final termination date of this Statewide Contract.

Estimated Value of the Contract The estimated value of purchase(s) resulting from this Bid is estimated to be One Billion One Hundred Ninety-Seven Million Three Hundred Forty-One Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Nine Dollars ($1,197,341,299.00). The Commonwealth makes no guarantee that any commodities or services will be purchased from any Contract resulting from this Bid. Any estimates or past procurement volumes referenced in this Bid are included only for the convenience of Bidders and are not to be relied upon as any indication of future purchase levels.

This Estimated Value was derived by reviewing Contractor sales reports to Commonwealth of Massachusetts Eligible Entities for Fiscal Year 2019 for both ITT46 and ITT50 statewide contracts.

Estimated Number of Awards The target maximum number of Contractors is twenty (20), with a maximum of ten (10) awards for Categories 2 – 8 and a maximum of ten (10) awards for Category 9. The SST may award more or fewer contracts, if it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth to do so. Vendors are encouraged to bid on multiple categories.

Adding Contractors after initial Contract Award If, over the life of the Contract, the SST determines that additional Contractors should be added in order to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, these may first be drawn from qualified companies which responded to this Bid but were not awarded contracts and/or the Bid may be reopened to obtain additional Quotes.

Acquisition Method(s):

Entities Eligible to Use the Resulting Contract Any Contract(s) resulting from this Bid will be open for use by the following entities:

· Cities, towns, districts, counties and other political subdivisions;

· Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches, including all Departments and elected offices therein;

· Independent public authorities, commissions and quasi-public agencies;

· Local public libraries, public school districts and charter schools;

· Public hospitals owned by the Commonwealth;

· Public institutions of higher education;

· Public purchasing cooperatives;

· Non-profit organizations that are doing business with the Commonwealth;

· Other states and territories with no prior approval by the State Purchasing Agent; and

· Other entities when designated in writing by the State Purchasing Agent.

Each eligible entity is responsible for executing its own purchase orders and paying its own invoices for goods and/or services acquired from this Contract. Contractors will be responsible for marketing their goods and/or services to Commonwealth Agencies and other eligible entities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON PROCUREMENT SCOPE

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the ITT72 Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) are soliciting Contractors for the acquisition of Network Services, Communications Services & Related Equipment. The resulting Contract will be the primary Statewide Contract used by Executive Agencies of the Commonwealth for the goods and services covered by the Contract. The Statewide Contract will also be available for use by other Eligible Entities.

With this RFR ITT72, the Commonwealth is soliciting Bidders for the acquisition of a range of network and communications services and equipment. This includes:

Local – Centrex, POTS, Business Line, Direct Inward Dialing (DID), PRI, International

The objectives of the RFR ITT72 procurement are:

· Competitive pricing – The Commonwealth expects awarded vendors to provide best-in-class pricing offered to similar public entities and private corporations.

· Service Quality and Customer Service – The Commonwealth expects awarded vendors to act as a partner by proactively responding to the needs of Executive Departments and Eligible Entities as they arise, as well as providing access to the technologies that best meet their needs.

· Limited Disruption – The Commonwealth expects awarded vendors to limit disruption to the Commonwealth’s current operations, including critical citizen facing services and public safety, that rely upon the telecommunication and network services that vendors provide.

· Improved Administrative Processes – The Commonwealth expects awarded vendors to align with the Commonwealth’s efforts to improve administrative processes that support the procurement of services on this contract, including the procure to pay process, billing, reporting, etc.

· Transparency and Insight into Vendor Performance - The Commonwealth expects awarded vendors to provide clear, understandable billing and informative reports on agreed upon performance measures represented in Service Level Agreements.

· Security – The Commonwealth expects awarded vendors to comply with enhanced security measures and policies of the Commonwealth and offer technologies and security add-ons to support improved security within the Executive Department.

· Emerging Technologies – The Commonwealth expects awarded vendors to offer emerging technologies that are relevant to the Executive Department and Eligible Entities and proactively support these organizations to transition to current, commercially available, industry standard technology.

Procurement Exclusions Category 1: Cellular Services and Devices for ITT72 was released October 5, 2018 via a separate solicitation and is excluded from this procurement.

Bidder Qualifications Bidders should describe in a concise narrative their qualifications as indicated below. Resellers are eligible to respond to this solicitation and will be considered for award if they are able to fulfill the Bidder Qualifications listed in this Section 3 as well as the Requirements listed below in Section 4.

Company Experience Business background Years in the industry of the Bid Bidders must have been in the business of providing the products and/or services within the Scope of this Bid offered in their response for at least the two (2) most recent consecutive years prior to the RFR submission deadline (See RFR Section 1.2, Estimated Procurement Calendar).

In the case of companies formed fewer than two (2) years prior to this date via merger, acquisition or some other means, the SST may consider the experience of all companies involved in the merger or acquisition.

Employee and/or business technical/business experience, certifications, licenses Company registration and certifications The Contractors may be asked by the Eligible Entities to provide copies of Certifications, Licenses or evidence of compliance with network and communication industry best practices applicable to the category in which the bidder is awarded, such as ISO/IEC 20000 certification and ITIL. The Contractor must have copies of certifications ready when requested from the contracting Eligible Entity.

Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) The Bidder must affirm they have contingency plans for system failure, transmission site failure, and power failure as well as how the Bidder insures survivability and service continuity in the event of natural disasters and/or acts of God.

Emergency Response Capabilities In a declared State of Emergency where the safety and wellbeing of Commonwealth citizens are at risk, Contractors may be asked to supply the Commonwealth with the commodities and/or services under the Statewide Contract on a priority basis. Contractors responding to the ITT72 bid must provide an emergency contact (name, position/title, phone, and email) which provides immediate response or within thirty (30) minutes of the initial contact for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year (24x7x365).

Financial stability, bankruptcy, litigation and contract defaults Bankruptcy, litigation, and contract defaults Bidders shall disclose if they have entered into bankruptcy prior to the RFR submission deadline (See RFR Section 1.2, Estimated Procurement Calendar).

Bidder affirm that they have no outstanding contingencies, such as lawsuits or other claims or charges that will adversely impact their ability to perform to the requirements of this RFR. The SST reserves the right to request additional information regarding any bankruptcy, or other outstanding contingencies.

Employee requirements for business under this contract The Commonwealth reserves the right to conduct a security background check or otherwise approve any employee, Subcontractor or agent furnished by the Contractor and to refuse access to or require replacement of any personnel for cause based on, including but not limited to, professional, technical or training qualifications, quality of work or change in security status or non-compliance with the Eligible Entity’s security or other requirements. Such approval shall not relieve the Contractor of the obligation to perform all work in compliance with the Contract terms.

Background/CORI check requirements The Commonwealth maintains strict building and property security requirements. This may require Contractors to obtain permission from the designated Eligible Entity representative prior to Contractor personnel attempting to access the site. The Bidder must provide personnel who will agree to all security requirements including, but not limited to, background checks and physical searches prior to entering or exiting Eligible Entity sites that require such.

Minimum Revenue Bidders must have a minimum of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) in gross revenue in the Bidder’s most recently completed fiscal year prior to the Bid Open Date (submission deadline) to ensure that they have the resources to support the wide variety of products and support required by contract users, (see Eligible Entities). The revenue requirement applies to the entity submitting the bid. It cannot be met by including revenue from a parent or related company.

References and reference information and/or requirements The Bidders may be requested to provide references during the evaluation process.

E-Rate Some of the goods and services purchased under this procurement may be funded in part by the E-Rate Program. Bidders awarded a contract in ITT72 agree to follow the requirements of the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) E-Rate Program for all business conducted with schools and libraries on ITT72. Bidders intending to conduct business with schools and/or libraries under a contract resulting from this solicitation must:

· include in their response the Bidder’s Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN);

· agree that any contract entered into as a result of their response to this RFR is subject to the availability of discounts on a year-to-year basis. If the anticipated discount is not awarded by the SLD then the Eligible Entity may at its sole discretion either terminate the purchase or adjust the quantities of equipment and service purchased without penalty;

· agree to invoice the SLD for the discount amount using the SLD approved forms and procedures – https://www.usac.org/e-rate/. Once the SLD has made a funding commitment the Contractor must invoice the Eligible Entity only for the after-discount amount;

· agree to assist the Eligible Entity in resolving any administrative issues that may arise from the SLD program.

Services, Commodity, Environmental, and Cost Specifications For each Category the Bidder chooses to bid on, the Bidder must describe the service it offers as compared to the requirements listed in an Excel template provided in Appendices 4 to 11: Requirements Response. Bidders must submit as part of their response to this RFR completed two Excel documents for each desired category; the requirements appendix and the pricing sheet attachment.

Category 2: Voice Services: Please refer to Appendix 4 Category 3: Conferencing: Please refer to Appendix 5 Category 4: Data Services and Broadband: Please refer to Appendix 6 Category 5: Small Facility Services: Please refer to Appendix 7 Category 6: Fiber Services: Please refer to Appendix 8 Category 7: Managed Services: Please refer to Appendix 9 Category 8: Call Center: Please refer to Appendix 10 Category 9: Equipment Related to ITT72 Services: Please refer to Appendix 11 Services Specifications Additional Terms and Conditions Bidders responding to this RFR understand and agree that additional terms and conditions also apply to services purchased by Commonwealth of Massachusetts Eligible Entities. These terms are attached as Exhibits 1-3: Cloud Services Terms to this ITT72 RFR and are identified below:

Software as a Service (SaaS) Exhibit 1 SaaS Additional Terms Platform as a Service (PaaS) Exhibit 2 – PaaS Additional Terms Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Exhibit 3 – IaaS Additional Terms Category 2: Voice Services This category does not include Wireless/Cellular voice services. For Wireless/Cellular voice services, see ITT72 Category 1, COMMBUYS MBPO PO-19-1080-OSD03-SRC01-16048.

Voice services category may include, but are not limited to: local exchange service, long distance service, international service, incoming and outgoing toll-free service, centrex, calling card, pay telephone service, SIP trunking, and Local Exchange Carrier (LEC), Inter-Exchange Carrier (IXC) for intra-LATA toll calling, POTS, Business Line, Direct Inward Dialing (DID), Primary Rate Interface (PRI), and related equipment and software.

Category 3: Conferencing Conferencing may include but shall not be limited to: Cloud, On-Premises and Hybrid services for Audio Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Video Conferencing and related equipment and software.

Category 4: Data Services and Broadband Data Services and Broadband includes a wide range of connectivity and bandwidth options delivering voice/data communications and/or internet access, including but not limited to: MPLS, Point-to-Point/Private Line, Primary Rate Interface (PRI), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Ethernet, Internet Access, Layer 2 Ethernet Services, Cable based Broadband, Commercial Internet Services, Business Commodity Internet, and Fixed Wireless Services such as Satellite and Microwave.

Category 5: Small Facility Services Provide Small Facility Services such as Internet, Television and Voice including but not limited to: Internet services dedicated and broadband, Television services includes satellite, cable, fiber, web base and Voice services includes Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Voice Services in this category should only be those associated with Small Facility Data Services, any “standalone” voice should be ordered via Category 2.

Category 6: Fiber Services Provide Fiber Services such as Dark Fiber Services, LIT Fiber Services.

Bidders must provide a brief description of the proposed fiber services. The description must include how these services will be fulfilled, the number of years the Bidder has provided each service, and the type of customers, e.g. municipality, large enterprise, small facilities, campus environments, etc.

Category 7: Managed Services For the purposes of this RFR, this category provides management of eligible entities’ site and/or enterprise voice and data network services inclusive of LAN and WAN managed services and Converged voice (VoIP) and data network services.

Managed services include, but are not limited to: Internet Access, Co-location, Virtual Private Networking (VPN), email, ftp, hosting services (web sites and network service applications), Host name registration, portal services, firewall, network intrusion detection, data back-up Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), PBX and Emergency Notification (reverse 911).

Category 8: Call Center Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Automatic Call Distribution System (ACD), advanced call routing and other features.

Approvals and standards (UL, CE, FCC, FDA, ASTM, IEEE) By responding, all Bidders affirm that proposed products are compliant with published telephony standards (IEEE, ITU) for the product category proposed (IP, Hybrid, TDM only), unless explicitly indicated otherwise in the Pricing Sheet. If selected for contract award, Bidders agree that all proposals to Eligible Entities will explicitly identify system components that are non-compliant.

License Agreements and Service Agreements The Contractor may not use or require license agreements, service agreements or hosting agreements unless they are negotiated and approved by the SST in advance of use. Such agreements will be considered accepted only after the Contractor has email/written confirmation of acceptance by the SST and the agreements are published on COMMBUYS for ITT72. Vendor documents may not impose customer obligations beyond those explicitly stated in this RFR. Any individual section of any such agreement is deemed void if it is in conflict with Commonwealth’s Terms & Conditions, Standard Contract Form or this contract including the RFR document with amendments.

Contracting Departments retain ownership of application designs and other work product resulting from this agreement.

Technical Support Technical support personnel must be certified by the manufacturer to be fully trained on the maintenance of the proposed systems, equipment, peripherals, and software. Contractor personnel must be familiar with the requirements of this RFR.

Contractor must represent and warrant that the technical support will be provided in a professional and workmanlike manner, and in accordance with industry standards.

Contractor personnel dispatched to an Eligible Entity’s site must be fully equipped to perform the duties required. “Fully Equipped” is defined as possessing all necessary tools, cable, connectors, ladders, test equipment, termination equipment, etc. in order to complete the required maintenance or repair.

Contractor personnel must be dressed in a professional manner and must possess photo identification clearly indicating they are employees of the Contractor or sub-contractor. The Contractor shall familiarize themselves and abide by all Eligible Entities and institution rules and regulations. Convicted felons are not allowed on Department of Correction (DOC) property. Background checks may be completed for individuals performing any work under this contract and at any time during this contract. Jeans of any color are not allowed inside DOC facilities.

Response Time Guarantee The Bidder must agree to the following response times, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the contracting Eligible Entity. Response time commences when the contracting Eligible Entity notifies the Contractor of a trouble or outage, or the Contractor network management organization determines that such a trouble or outage exists. Response time concludes when the appropriate Contractor staff commences performance of remedial services, either in person or remotely, if the trouble ticket is capable of being remedied remotely.

Service Affecting Outage A Service Affecting Outage is defined as any circuit, product or service that does not operate within contracted service level agreements and that is not designated Critical, Emergency, or preventative maintenance. The following response times apply to Service Affecting Outages:

· Upon receipt of the trouble ticket the Contractor must acknowledge the ticket in writing within fifteen (15) minutes, begin testing within thirty (30) minutes from the point of acknowledgement, and respond either remotely or dispatch within two (2) hours from the point of acknowledgement.

· If the trouble condition cannot be resolved within eight (8) business hours, the Contractor must provide alternative service to the Eligible Entity.

Critical Outage A Critical Outage is defined as any problem affecting:

· twenty percent (20%) of an Eligible Entity’s stations or telephone instruments;

· any circuit of service;

· connectivity to the service provider;

· data service to or among system components;

· an attendant console;

· the ability of the system to function as programmed;

· the ability of the system to integrate with peripheral systems such as voice mail, etc.;

· specialized functions such as Automatic Call Distribution, inter-system networking, call management systems, etc.;

· a CTI application;

· devices specified in advance by the Eligible Entity and/or;

· the ability of the Eligible Entity to perform its mission.

The following response times apply to Critical Outages:

· Upon receipt of the trouble ticket, the Contractor must acknowledge the ticket in writing within fifteen (15) minutes, begin testing within thirty (30) minutes from the point of acknowledgement, and respond either remotely or dispatch within two (2) hours from the point of acknowledgement.

· If the trouble condition cannot be resolved within eight (8) business hours, the Contractor must provide alternative service to the Eligible Entity.

Emergency Outage An Emergency Outage is defined as any outage affecting certain voice and data communications instruments designated by the Eligible Entity as essential for the protection of the public health and safety or for the operation of the Eligible Entity.

An outage affecting 20% or more of the Eligible Entities in a multi-tenant environment are also defined as an Emergency Outage.

The following response times apply to Emergency Outages:

· The Contractor must begin testing, remotely or on-site, within ten (10) minutes.

· If the Emergency Outage cannot be resolved remotely, Contractor technical support personnel must be available on-site within one (1) hour.

· If the Emergency Outage cannot be resolved within two (2) hours, the Contractor must provide alternative service to the Eligible Entity.

Eligible Entities and Authorized Users reserve the right, upon at least seven days’ advance notice to the Contractor, to designate the products, circuits, services and Authorized User, departments or organizations deemed to be “Emergency” and the Contractor shall be bound by such designations.

It is desirable that Bidders offer shorter technical support response times. Bidders must include the costs, if any, for technical support calls in the Cost Tables.

Service Level Agreement The Bidder must provide a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that includes performance guarantees, performance reporting, and penalties that meet or exceed the minimum terms defined in the respective Appendices of this RFR.

The Contracting Department may request of the Contractor more stringent SLAs above the baseline that may require changes to the Contractor’s price or configurations. The Contractor is responsible for updating their service delivery response levels to meet these requirements. Failure to meet these service levels will introduce remedies for the Contracting Department.

Commodity Specifications Categories 2 - 8: Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) The Bidder may propose network termination equipment to be installed with the proposed network services using the respective Pricing Sheet for the service. CPE may only be provided as required for the provisioning and operation of the proposed service. This termination equipment shall not consist of equipment or systems not directly related to the communication service being provisioned. The cost of equipment necessary for, and offered with, services in Categories 2 – 8 must be included in the monthly charge for the service.

Category 9: Equipment Related to ITT72 Services Bidders proposing Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) for sale under Category 9 must submit product descriptions and pricing using the Attachment H Pricing Sheet. Only CPE directly related to the network and/or communication services offered under this contract may be proposed.

Pre-Installation Site inspection requirements The Contractor must conduct an on-site visit to the contracting Eligible Entity’s premises to ensure that the Contractor is completely familiar with the installation conditions of the facility prior to submitting a quote. This required visit must include, at a minimum, an inspection of the condition of the communications room and any associated station cabling to be re-used with the proposed system.

Implementation requirements The Contractor is responsible for installation project management. The Contractor must furnish all labor, supervision, equipment, materials and supplies necessary to properly and competently install the proposed network and/or communications system.

Required Project Manager The Contractor must provide a Project Manager for each contracting Eligible Entity regardless of the size of the system being implemented. The Project Manager must serve as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the contracting Eligible Entity during the implementation period. The Contractor is required to provide the name and contact information (voice, mobile, email, etc.) of the Project Manager at the first system implementation meeting.

Required Implementation Package The Contractor must provide to the contracting Eligible Entity, at the first implementation meeting, an “Implementation Package” which contains, at a minimum, the following items:

· Name of the Project Manager, Contact Numbers and Internet EMail Addresses;

· Names of the Project Team Members, Contact Numbers and Internet EMail Addresses;

· A list of implementation milestones based on the contracting Eligible Entity’s desired installation date;

· A list of tasks including the party responsible for each (Contractor, Eligible Entity, 3rd Party Network Provider, etc.) during system implementation;

· Escalation procedures including management personnel contact numbers.

The Contractor may not provide a minimized list of management personnel as its escalation list. Each contact name provided on the escalation procedure list must have their role in the escalation procedure clearly defined.

Initial Implementation Meeting Upon receipt of an order for a new network and/or communications system, the Contractor must conduct an initial implementation meeting with the contracting Eligible Entity. This initial implementation meeting must include the following:

· Introduction of the Contractor’s Project Team Members;

· A review of the system configuration purchased to ensure that the Eligible Entity and the Contractor agree on the system to be installed;

· Presentation of the Implementation Package.

The Bidder agrees that all implementation project personnel shall be familiar with the requirements of this RFR document in order to ensure that all tasks required of the Contractor will be performed by the implementation project team. The Bidder agrees not to approach system implementation with its standard implementation procedures but adhere to all requirements of this RFR.

Escalation Procedures during Implementation At the first system implementation meeting with the contracting Eligible Entity, the Contractor must provide a list of escalation procedures that allow the Eligible Entity to address inadequate service during and immediately following system implementation. These escalation procedures must include multiple levels of technical and management personnel with appropriate contact information (voice, cellular, email) and a clear definition of their roles in the escalation process. The Contractor must provide access to additional management personnel upon request of the contracting Eligible Entity should the listed escalation personnel not perform to the satisfaction of the Eligible Entity.

Installation The Bidder must be able to provide, installation and support services for equipment and software required to establish, maintain and enhance the Commonwealth’s Network and Communications Services. The response must include the equipment provisioning and activation services available with the respective costs in the Pricing Sheet(s).

Requirements The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all of its work and materials comply with all local, state and federal laws, ordinances and regulations as well as the direction of any inspectors appointed by proper authorities having jurisdiction over this type of telecommunications system installation. The Contractor is expected to be knowledgeable of such ordinances based on its experience with similar system installation work, its experience in the industry and its experience with the installation of network and communications systems in particular.

The contracting Eligible Entity will obtain all necessary permits identified by the Contractor. Should violation of codes occur relating to this network or communications project because necessary permits were not identified to the contracting Eligible Entity, the Contractor will cease all work and correct the situation, immediately, and at no cost to the contracting Eligible Entity prior to continuation of system installation.

As built documentation or manuals Upon completion of the system installation, the Contractor shall provide the following system documentation to the Eligible Entity for storage on-site at the Eligible Entity’s facility:

· The Contractor shall provide a detailed software listing of each station including button layout, class of service, “call coverage” applications, etc.

· The Contractor shall provide a complete set of system administration and/or maintenance manuals for the installed system. These manuals must be provided in electronic format unless the contracting Eligible Entity specifically requests hardcopy versions.

· The Contractor shall provide, at the request of the contracting Eligible Entity, an inventory database (Excel, Access, etc.) file of equipment installed with associated Commonwealth Property Tags as provided by the contracting Eligible Entity. Release from this responsibility is at the sole discretion of the contracting Eligible Entity.

· The Contractor shall supply soft and/or hard copy “Trouble Log” samples which allow the contracting Eligible Entity to report and keep accurate records of any and all system maintenance issues or problems on an as-needed basis.

· The Contractor shall supply all necessary documentation to the Eligible Entity’s System Administrator in regard to maintenance contact numbers, maintenance reporting procedures, maintenance escalation procedures, etc.

Anticipated service disruption The Bidder must describe in writing to the Eligible Entity with every system quote how its implementation plan will minimize the disruption when converting the contracting Eligible Entity from its existing technology to the…